Recession Blues
by InbredSuzy
Summary: Kagome Higurashi has been hit hard by the present economy. After struggling with the broken path of a Temp for ten years, she decides to move back in with her mother to go back to school and finds that the new neighbor is quite the hunk.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Inuyasha & Co.

**Recession Blues**

Kagome Higurashi sat on her soft tan microfiber couch, laying her face in her hands while resting her elbows on her knees. Her black hair surrounded her hands and arms as she sighed and shook her head from side to side. The quiet room was filled with her sighs and gulps of air. Her hands slicked with tears from her brown eyes, and her nose sniffled.

Her temp agency called again with another job that did not match her experience, and she was torn over needing a job. Earlier that day, she'd lined up with her resume for the hundredth time since she lost her last job. Only one job came her way since she lost her last one late last year. She lost the most recent one due to the employer not training her as they'd promised, and put the blame on her.

Being a temp caused her to learn not to trust anyone, and she began to feel as if she was becoming a drone with now emotions during work as she was tossed around like a hot gyoza. The changes to the economy caused her job description as Customer Service Rep to include sales, which was her weakest point. Retail sales were the only way she'd felt comfortable since most clothing garments sold themselves.

Over the phone, however, it took some sweet talking to get a customer to accept an item and place an order. Especially since her last job included a badly engineered web site laced with lies, assumptions and no guarantees. She originally took the job thinking it was a Customer Service job, at least according to the Temp Agency it was described as such. Then, it morphed into a sales job without any notification. She did her best, and tried to help each customer buy the items they were interested in. Then, before she knew it, things went sour when her boss made mistakes, and decided to slap the issues on her.

Kagome then told the Temp Agency when she returned the call that afternoon that she did not want to work in Customer Service positions any more due to the changes companies have made regarding cutting corners. She'd been off for almost two months now, and they called her in with a new position in an industry she was not interested in.

She'd gone to the local Unemployment Office earlier that day, and took a seminar regarding funding for school. She'd worked in various offices for ten years now, and was feeling that she'd come full circle once again. She felt she was going nowhere. No career title and a confusing resume showing for all those ten years. She got her office skills in the certification program she originally went through, but no longer works in the field. A failed LTA; she felt melancholy over her decade of going nowhere with various office jobs making her look like a Jackie of all trades, and an expert of none.

She's in her early thirties and she never married. She moved into her own apartment after she graduated from college, and felt it was time to leave the nest. The last thing she wanted was to burden her mother any more than she already had. When Sota left for college, Kagome figured her mother wanted to enjoy the freedoms of being a single woman with her lady friends.

She let her wet hands fall from her face and rest slightly dangling from her knees over the wooden coffee table she'd bought from IKEA years ago. She let her dark eyes scan her surroundings; her black mascara and eyeliner smudged around her eyes, the blue shadow on her lids blended in with the black.

"What should I do?" she asked, breaking the silence in the small living room of her apartment. She shook her head, rubbed her hands on her pleated knee length skirt and grabbed the cordless phone from the cradle on the end table beside the couch. She dialed her friend to see if she could get some advice. She adjusted her fitted pink button down top as the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hi, it's me." Kagome sniffled into the phone and ran her left hand through her hair.

"Hey, Kagome, what's wrong? Are you crying? What happened?"

"Oh, Sango…I don't know what I'm going to do. I just got the information I needed for the grant, but I was just offered another bum job I more than likely will have issues doing. How would you handle going back to school and working as a temp?"

"Listen, Kagome, we've been through this before. You just have to listen to your heart. You need to make the right choices for YOU, not for the temp agency. They have more people they can send to this job, so don't let anything stand in your way of going where you want to go."

"I know. I'm sorry to be such a pest. I just… I feel so alone, I guess. You know how I feel when I get confused while I'm alone."

"Yes, I know, sweetheart. I don't mean to sound annoyed, but there's no other way I can put this to you. You can do anything you put your mind to. Plus, if need be, you can do what every other between job kids our age are doing- you can move back in with mom if need be. That way you can work part time on your own steam, go to school full time and get it over with so you'll get where you belong sooner."

"Move back in with mom? Are you crazy?" Kagome panted and ran her hand through her long black hair again.

"YES! I bet your mom misses you, Kagome!"

"Okay, okay…I'll think about it. It's just… I've been independent for so long…"

"Everyone does what they have to these days. Hell, Miroku just had to move back in with his parents the other day, so it's kind of hard to have a relationship like we've been having in that situation."

"Oh no, Sango, I'm so sorry to hear that!" Kagome stood from the couch and started to pace.

"Yeah, it was sudden. He lost his job this past Friday, and since he has no job, and has no idea when he'll find another one, he had to skip out on the lease on his apartment since unemployment won't start in time for him to pay his next rent payment."

"How did he break the lease?"

"Credit card, of course." Sango fell silent and began to cry as well.

"Oh, Sango…Your situation is worse than mine, and here I'm complaining about confusion over something trivial. I apologize."

"No, it's not your fault. I neglected to call you to let you know since I was helping him move back home a couple towns over. Kagome, just do what you WANT to do. Either way, whatever happens, you will make it work, I know you will." Sango's smile shined through her voice.

"Thanks, Sango. I wish I had words of comfort for you…"

"It's okay. Look, I gotta go. Miroku's calling on the land line. I'll talk with you later." Kagome heard the rings in the background.

"Okay, tell Miroku I've got my fingers crossed for him. Bye for now, girl."

Sango returned the salutation and Kagome ended the call. She walked across the room to her desk and grabbed an empty piece of paper and the nearest pen. She spent the rest of her evening drawing out the pros and cons of each possible situation.

The next morning, Kagome called the Temp Agency and gave them her answer; she will go to school and go inactive. She called her mother and was met with an ecstatic greeting. Apparently Sango was right; her mother had been missing her completely and was dying for a visit.

She took the train home in the early afternoon. She enjoyed the nostalgic walk home from the station and sighed when she arrived at the front door. She knocked, adjusted her white knee-length pleated skirt and red short-sleeved top while she waited. A moment later, the door slid open and her excited mother wrapped her arms around the woman she'd missed for so long. After a strong hug, they separated, tearfully eyed each other and took in the changes that occurred in a little over a year.

"My Kagome, you look beautiful no matter what you do." She again took her daughter into her arms and welcomed her home.

"You too Mom." Kagome took in the home she'd left ten years ago. A few changes here and there, but the same for the most part. All those years they'd mainly met for lunch due to her heavy work schedule.

Her mother slid the door closed and directed her observant daughter into the kitchen and pulled out a chair. "So, tell me sweetie, what's new?" The mother made her way to the fridge and grabbed a couple teas. She slapped the door closed with her elbow and took the seat opposite from her daughter.

"Oh, I've been having problems with the jobs from the Temp Agency. It's not working out." Kagome pulled the tab on the can and took a sip.

"Oh, my. What are your options?" She took a sip of her tea.

Kagome explained her options and the stress she'd gone through the past couple months. Her mother listened intently. When the room fell silent, she slid her hands across the table and held her daughter's hands in comfort.

"Mom, I have to ask you for a favor." Kagome averted her eyes to the table.

"Sure, honey, anything you need."

"If I go to school full time to focus my career, I will need a place to stay. You see, I won't be able to work while going to school this time around." She lifted her gaze from the grained wood to her mother's eyes.

"Honey, I would love for you to move back in with me." Kagome released the breath she'd been holding. "This house is too quiet with Sota gone now. How soon would you move in?"

"My lease ends next month. I could move in then." The young woman's eyes lifted for the first time in ages it seemed.

"Great! You can have your old room back. Oh, do you have any furniture to bring over? Or are you leaving it behind?"

"Well, I think I'll make that decision later, mom." The daughter chuckled and they both sipped their teas and continued talking to catch up the rest of the afternoon.

A few hours later, Kagome decided she needed to head back home to feed her cat, Buyo. On her way out the door, she heard some rock music and strange sounds coming from the neighbor's house off to the left. She turned her gaze and saw a man working out on a workout bench lifting a large barbell clad with large round weights in his backyard. She listened as he panted loudly through his parted lips, watched his defined muscles pulse as he lifted and lowered the heavy weights.

"New neighbor; he moved in a few months ago." Her mother gawked around the corner as well.

"What do you know about him?" Kagome's mouth refused to close as he continued.

"Not much. But I see him outside every evening doing something different each time. He seems to keep to himself for the most part. The couple times he greeted me were cordial enough." A smile crept across the mother's lips.

"Wow." Kagome had no idea how long she'd been watching, but realized it'd been long enough when he set the barbell on the holster, sat up, grabbed a clear bottle of water from the end of the bench before him and took a long swig. He was so handsome. She averted her hungry gaze to say goodbye to her mom and head down the steps to the sidewalk and turned right toward the train station down the street.

Her heart thumped loudly in her chest all the way home as thoughts of the hunk next door to her mother went through her head. She'd been interested in guys and met quite a few in college ten years earlier, but hadn't been serious with any of them since her studies were more important. Over the years she'd hang out with Rin, Sango and Miroku, and danced with a few guys here and there at the clubs they frequented over the past ten years. However, her heart never fell then as hers did just an hour earlier.

He was definitely new to the area since she'd never seen him before. He was tall, with well-defined assets and long silver hair. When he sat up, his wild bangs were plastered on his sweaty forehead and his chest was glistening. She'd never seen a muscle structure quite as defined as his, and the six pack abs was the icing on the cake. But what caused her to hunger the most was his eyes. Were they gold?

A/N

This is a bit of a surprise, actually finding some inspiration for another fanfic after all this time. But this story feels good to write. Those who know me well already know that Kagome's situation sounds a wee bit familiar. I feel a bit better after writing this chapter tonight. But the best part is I have no need to edit this chapter! I'm hoping to work on this baby daily while I'm off work. It's been so long since I've started a story, that it really feels good to be inspired once again. I certainly hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'm not sure how long this fic will be, but I promise not to disappoint ;-) 'Til later, Ja ne!


	2. Back Home

I do not own Inuyasha & Co.

**Back Home**

During the month that passed after Kagome asked her mother about moving back home, Kagome got her affairs in order. She spoke with her job coach at the Unemployment office, and sent in her application for the grant to go back to school. The certification she chose was Medical Administrative Assistant, and everything was in the works at the moment.

She felt liberated, and the excitement of going back to school lifted her spirits. All she could think about while she packed up her belongings was how much simpler her life had become since she made this decision. She stuffed her last pair of white socks into her luggage, slapped the black vinyl top shut and slid the two zippers from each side to meet in the middle.

It was finished; she'd packed all her clothes, toiletries, her DVD's, music CD's and all the pictures she'd taken down off the walls, which were already loaded into the moving truck outside. As she lifted her heavy bag from the floor, she turned around to take one last look at the room to make sure she wasn't missing anything. Seeing everything was good, she took a deep breath and smiled. She turned and grabbed her purse and left the apartment.

She descended the stairs to the ground floor for the last time, dropped off the apartment keys at the front desk and walked through the door. She set the luggage into the back of the moving truck she rented and gave the driver the address after he closed and locked the door. She climbed into the passenger seat and shut her door. Once the driver was strapped in, the truck grumbled off towards her mother's house.

Not long after, she arrived at her new/old residence and the gentleman from the rental truck company helped her unload the few boxes and bags into the house. The afternoon went fast. By the time the truck pulled off, Kagome finally heard her stomach grumble. Kagome put her hand over her empty stomach and sat down on the porch.

"What would you like for dinner, sweetie?" Her mother knelt down and put her hands on Kagome's shoulders.

"Oh, I don't know." She sighed.

"I'll fix you something and let you know when it's ready. Just rest, it's been a big day for you." She stood and closed the front door behind her.

Kagome eyed the grounds surrounding her- The trees lining the front yard, the forest of lush trees across the street, and the breeze rustling through the leaves and branches. She was filled with peace. She closed her eyes to enjoy the sounds of the leaves moving in the wind, the feel of the light wind blowing through her long wavy black hair; her bangs tickling her defined eyebrows and plentiful eyelashes. She took a much needed deep breath, and smiled. She slouched forward and rested her elbows on her knees.

Her long blue cotton skirt embraced her soft legs with the breeze, and her thong sandals cradled her feet nicely. Goosebumps rose on her naked arms as a warm and slightly harder breeze flew through her. Her white tank top rustled slightly as well causing her arms to raise her hands up to hold her chin. "I'm home."

Suddenly, she heard a loud bang of to the left. Her head turned to see what caused the sound. There he was again, only that time, he wore a black bandanna on his head; covering his crown down to the nape of his neck as his long silver hair rested down his back. He had tossed something into a metal garbage can and was walking back into his garage.

Kagome watched as he brought bags of garbage out and set them in the grouping of metal trash receptacles. He was wearing a red tank top, black knee-length cotton shorts and a pair of black leather thong sandals. A minute after watching him take out the trash, he stopped and eyed the tree-line as he caught his breath a bit. That was when he noticed he was being watched.

She gasped and averted her gaze from him immediately, her cheeks burning bright red. She heard him slap his hands and then heard the sound of the grass crumpling.

'Oh, no…He's on his way over. What do I say? I hope he's not mad at me…'

"Hi, you're new here, aren't you?" Kagome turned her head to see him standing a few feet away from her with his hands in his pockets and a calm look on his face.

"Um, not really. I'm from here, actually. Just…You know…" Kagome gestured toward the front door nervously.

"Moving back home?"

Kagome nodded. "Yes, moving back in with mom." Her voice cracked nervously.

"I'm Inuyasha." He reached his right hand out to shake hers.

"Oh," she shook his hand." I'm Kagome, Kagome Higurashi." After the handshake, she ran her right hand through her hair. "Where are you from? I was told you moved in recently also."

"Yeah, I'm from all over, really." He shrugged lazily.

"Ah. So, you live alone?" She looked past him toward his house.

"Naw, I live with old Kaede. She's an old lady from my youth I take care of. She doesn't get out much, so it seems as if I live alone." He sniffed and rubbed his index knuckle under his nose.

Kagome grimaced slightly, but slapped her hands together and rubbed them slightly, as if she was thinking of something.

"So, what's your story?" He lifted his left hand to eye his nails.

"My story?"

"Yeah; why you're moving back with your mother. Is she doing all right? She's not ill, is she?" He looked up towards the front door.

"Oh no, she's fine." She chuckled slightly. "It's the Recession. I got hit a bit hard, and now I'm going back to school full time is all. You?"

"Relocation mostly. Moving back to my roots you can say. You see, I was born here, but it was a different house my father owned." He smiled as if at a joke.

"Ah, okay." Kagome stood slowly and wiped her hands on her skirt. "I should be getting back inside, I can smell dinner cooking."

"Cool." He nodded and put his hands back in his pockets.

"So, it was nice to meet you. Talk to you again." She turned and stepped up onto the porch.

"It was very nice to meet you, Kagome." She looked back to see him smiling at her. She nodded politely and entered the house. Inuyasha took a deep breath, pushed it out through his full lips and slowly made his way back to his abode while looking back at her mother's house a few times.

Kagome helped her mother out in the kitchen and soon sat down to a calm and quiet dinner of green tea, rice, home-made Oyaku-Don and a bowl of Miso each.

"Oh, Mom, I have really missed your cooking." Kagome lifted a piece of chicken with her chopsticks.

"Believe me, it feels good to make food for more than just myself for a change. After Sota left, I had to lighten my recipes since I kept running out of room in the fridge with leftovers." They giggled over the expression.

Kagome mentioned meeting the neighbor for the first time, and the blush returned to her cheeks.

"So, did you get his name? Was he nice to you?"

"Yes, he was very nice, and his name is Inuyasha. He's living with an older lady named Kaede, and he said that he moved here to get in touch with his roots. Mom, does he look familiar to you? Maybe from when I was really young?"

"No, why do you ask?" She lifted a spoonful of Miso to her lips and blew.

"He said he was born here, but that the house is no longer here." Her mother's gaze lifted to hers. "How old is this house?"

"It's about…Let's see. I believe it's about a hundred years or so. Of course there've been some modifications and upgrades here and there over the years, but this house has belonged to the Higurashi family for generations."

"Wow. He looks about my age or so, but of course I didn't think to ask."

"Well, if you get the chance to talk with him again, you can ask." The older woman sipped at her Miso and Kagome finished off the main dish.


	3. An Unexpected Day

I do not own Inuyasha & Co.

**An Unexpected Day**

Kagome stepped outside in the early Monday morning with her brown leather purse draped over her shoulder. She took a deep breath and looked at Inuyasha's home, with hope in the recesses of her mind that he'd suddenly appear from his front door or garage as he had in the morning to take his daily jog for the past couple weeks.

She'd been having meetings often early during the week at the unemployment office, as well as with her college to get things set up for her schooling. She'd seen him leave his house often during the times she'd leave, and those happenings began to cause her to think he was watching her from behind the blinds in his windows to see when she was leaving. It certainly was a rarity that she'd leave her house without seeing him do something outside.

Today, however, she made it down the steps and onto the sidewalk without seeing him. The oddity of that caused her to continue looking back whenever she heard a sound behind her, thinking she'd just missed being within talking distance of her interesting neighbor.

Before she knew it, she was all the way down the street without a sight of him, causing her to feel uneasy about her morning already. She continued her walk around the corner to the street leading to the train station. The long street was lined with quaint shops; such as bookstores, clothing boutiques, a small music store, a shoe shop, and a small sidewalk deli that served meals from breakfast 'til dinner time. As she came to the deli, the door swung open suddenly and caught her off guard. She stepped wrong, and her right ankle wobbled on that nasty crack in the concrete she always avoided, causing her ankle to weaken.

She yelped when her ankle cracked loudly, but oddly she never hit the course concrete under her feet. She looked up to see the person she'd hoped to see- Inuyasha. She looked and noticed his eyes and the red and black bandana just above his black eye brows.

"Are you all right?" His arms held her in a low dip as his long, course silver hair enveloped her face and his.

She gasped and a tear fell from her right eye as she shook her head. "My…. My ankle…" her hands gripped his red tank top beside his muscular biceps.

He gently laid her down onto the hard ground and she let go of his tank top. "Which one is it?"

She gasped as he gently lifted her right leg just below the knee. "Mm…" He lowered her leg and felt her ankle while she gasped at the pressure he applied- searching for any breaks. "Well, judging on the swelling and the tenderness, you only sprained it."

"Shit…" He gave her a look of surprise. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I never thought I'd hear that come out of your mouth. But then again, seeing you dressed as you are, it looks as if you're on your way to a meeting." She looked down at her royal blue fitted knee-length skirt as it hugged her hosed legs.

"Yes, a very important one, in fact… And now I'm going to be late because I believe I've just missed the train…" She ran her hands down the three-quarter length sleeves of her royal blue colored blazer and adjusted the red shell beneath.

"I'm sorry, this happened because I left the house earlier than usual today." He shook his head and gritted his teeth behind his full lips.

"I'm not going to blame such a situation on you, Inuyasha. I'm actually glad it was you who opened the door. If it wasn't you, I may have hit the ground and gone unconscious."

He smiled and gingerly lifted her up to stand on her left foot while bracing her. "I'll help you get to the pharmacy to get a bandage for your ankle. If you need to, you can use my cell to call the office and let them know what happened." He pulled his cell phone from the right pocket of his black cargo shorts and offered it to her.

"Oh, thank you."

She took the flip phone from his hand and grabbed the business card from her purse with the phone number. She flipped the phone open to see an old picture as his wallpaper; it was a shot of a painting of a beautiful woman that appeared to be over a hundred years old. Her straight, long, black hair was draped over her shoulders clad with layers of robes. The outer robe was decorated with a floral pattern. She was young and beautiful. Her cheek bones were defined and her eyes tender. Her small mouth accented by deep colored brush strokes, and it seemed as if she was looking through Kagome's soul.

"Something wrong?"

Kagome looked up at him from the wallpaper. "Oh, no. Who is she?"

"My mother."

"Oh…" She then typed the number in and pressed send. She explained her situation and they decided to reschedule her meeting.

"Well, that's a good thing, especially since you're not going to be able to make it on that ankle. Here, I got ya." He braced her left side with his left hand and his left leg acted as her right as they made their way to the drug store just a few doors down.

He sat her down in the bench against the wall beside the counter and proceeded to ask if crutches were available and a representative led him to the section of the store behind long and tall shelves where the wrappings were located along with a set of standard crutches and cold compresses on the other side of the deep store.

Once everything was gathered, Kagome grabbed her purse and was about to stand when Inuyasha pulled his wallet from his other pocket and pulled money from within the folds. Shock spread across her face at the fact that he was buying her supplies.

He got his change, folded it into his wallet, and slipped it back into his pocket. He looked down at Kagome to see the shock and said, "What?"

She shook her head and eluded that it was nothing. He knelt down before her and slipped off her shiny black flat. He then tore open the packaging of the bandage and properly wrapped her ankle. Once her right ankle was properly wrapped, he stood and set the crutches in front of her. She grabbed the handles of her purse and slipped it onto her right shoulder. She put her hands onto the crutches and lifted herself up. She lost her balance a little when her purse fell from her shoulder and down to her elbow.

He lifted the purse handles and slipped the purse down her forearm. "I'll carry your purse for you." He held the crutch with his right hand as she lifted her hand from the padding to slip the purse from her hand.

"Thank you again." She smiled up at him. He turned and stepped beside her as he helped lead her from the store and onto the concrete to help her get home.

It was a nice but slow trek back home on such a beautiful and mild morning. They hadn't said much, as nervousness began to fill Kagome's stomach with jittery butterflies.

"So, I take it you've never sprained your ankle before?"

"Yeah… Talk about painful. I think I'm going to be laid up eating nothing but painkillers for a while." She huffed out as she lifted herself off her right leg.

"Well, for about six days or so, it'll be tender, but you should heal just fine. Just keep it elevated and wrapped with the cold compresses draped over it, and the swelling should go down. Painkillers will help, but eat good food to keep your energy up. Do you have books to read? Video games to play? Movies to watch?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, you're gonna be off your feet most of the time, and you'll be awfully bored if you don't have something to entertain yourself with."

"Ah, yeah… Well, I do have some DVD's to watch, but I think I'm going to have to sleep in the dining room for a while…"

"Why would you say that?" Inuyasha stopped beside her and looked her way.

"Well, my bedroom is upstairs, and I don't think I could make it up or down on my own…"

"Will you need help getting up there when we get back?"

"Oh, no… You've gone to enough trouble for me already. Mom can help me." Kagome continued on ahead.

"I don't think so." She stopped to look over her shoulder.

Inuyasha stood holding her purse with a straight look on his face and looked her straight in the eye.

"But, you must have things you need to do. Doesn't Kaede need your help? And I'm sure there's a job you tend to during the day…"

Inuyasha closed the gap quickly and stopped beside her. "Old Kaede is a pistol, and I know she can last without me for a few days. Hell, she's the one who really runs the household. She just likes to live with me because we're basically family, and she's been a part of my life for quite some time ever since… Well, never mind. The point is, I have nothing to do during the day."

"Nothing to do? Are you kidding me? How do you afford that gorgeous, huge house beside mine?"

He let out a loud sigh. "Okay, I don't think that's any of your business at the moment, but I have money, okay?"

"Oh… So, you don't _have_ to work then."

"Exactly. So, I have all the time in the world, and I can carry you up and down the stairs without difficulty, until your ankle heals, that is."

"Well, I don't have anything to give you in return. You don't really…"

"Yes, I do, and don't worry about it." He then started off without her, causing her to work to catch up.

* * *

Once they arrived at Kagome's mother's house, she grabbed both crutches in her left hand and he handed her purse to her right hand. He knelt down and lifted her fully into his arms and walked her up the stairs and across the porch to ring the doorbell.

Kagome's mother made her way to the door and put her hands to her face when she saw her daughter holding crutches in his arms. "Oh my! Kagome, what happened?"

She pushed the screen clear and Inuyasha effortlessly stepped past her and carried her daughter into the living room. When she made her way into the room, Inuyasha lowered Kagome onto the floor beside the low table. He grabbed two pillows for her to lean against, and set another under her wrapped ankle.

"I sprained my ankle on my way to the station. I never made it to the meeting, but it will be rescheduled." Kagome settled herself comfortably.

"Oh, honey… How did this happen?"

"I was coming out of the deli, and my opening the door caused her to lose her footing and sprain her ankle."

Her mother looked to him as her right hand went to her heart.

"I saw her at the last second and caught her as she fell." Guilt appeared on his face.

"Oh, Inuyasha, I'm just glad you were there! Thank you for bringing her home!" She knelt down to lightly hug Kagome and then put her hand on his shoulder. "You have been good to Kagome today. Please let me cook a special dinner for you tonight in thanks."

"Sure, I would love to sample your cooking, Mrs. Higurashi." A smile formed on his lips and the guilt faded from his eyes.

Mrs. Higurashi went upstairs to gather more comfortable clothes for Kagome. When she returned with what looked like lounging clothes and one white sock, Inuyasha stepped out from the living room and allowed her to change Kagome's clothes. Once she was done, Inuyasha stepped back around the corner and sat down across the table from Kagome as she turned on the television.

* * *

After the wonderful steak dinner sided with Gyoza and soba noodles, Inuyasha noticed Kagome had fallen listless while watching an episode of Ninja Warrior. Figuring the pain killers had finally kicked in; he put the cold compress back into the freezer and then lifted her up into his arms.

He looked into the kitchen and asked her mother where her bedroom was. She directed him up the stairs and then opened the door at the end of the hall beside the bathroom. He stepped in and her mother turned on the light. She stepped past him and turned down the purple comforter on her full sized bed. Once she stepped aside, Inuyasha stepped forward and gently laid the sleeping woman upon her bed. Her mother grabbed an extra pillow from the hall to elevate her hurt ankle.

"Thanks again, Inuyasha. We really appreciate your help, whether Kagome shows it or not." She turned off the light and they both exited as she softly closed the door. "I could never have gotten her up the stairs on my own. She sometimes forgets how old I am. My looks do deceive everyone, but I am in my fifties."

They'd made their way to the stairs and descended. "You seriously don't look your age."

"Thank you, Inuyasha." She stepped down the last three steps and onto the floor.

"I offered to help her get to and from her bedroom, and she tried to reject, but I wouldn't let her. I have nothing better to do but work on my muscles all day, so why not use them to help her instead." Inuyasha shrugged and Mrs. Higurashi just walked forward and put her hands on his cheeks.

"You are such a good man. You are welcome to come by as often as you like." She smiled and then led him to the door.

"Good night, Mrs. Higurashi." Inuyasha waved as he left the house and started down the steps and on toward his home in the darkness.


	4. An Interesting Day

**I do not own Inuyasha and Co.**

**An Interesting Day**

The next day, early in the morning, the doorbell rang, waking Kagome out of a deep sleep. She moaned as she rolled onto her left side to drape her injured ankle onto the small decorative pillow she grabbed after she woke up last night. She heard Inuyasha's voice greet her mother at the front door. She didn't want to wake up just yet; she was way too tired still, even though she'd had a full night's rest.

Suddenly, as she was starting to catch onto where she left off in her dream, a soft knock sounded from her door along with a soft, "Kagome," from her mother.

She moaned again. "What…"

"Inuyasha's here. When you need to come down for breakfast, go ahead and yell from the stairs, okay?" Kagome sighed when she heard her mother's soft footsteps sound down the stairs. She adjusted the pillow under her head slightly and nodded off back into her dream.

While the beauty slept upstairs, Mrs. Higurashi found the young man relaxing in the living room before the TV, making himself right at home. She smiled and made her way down the hall into the kitchen. She grabbed a small dish and laid some cookies on it.

"Would you like something to drink?" She asked aloud.

"Whattaya have?"

"Milk, Ramune, Calico, Aloe Vera…"

"Ramune, please."

She grabbed a bottle and the dish of cookies and then made her way through the other entry way into the living room. She set the plate and the bottle of soft drink on the table in front of him. He looked up at her with a smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She then stepped back into the kitchen to pour herself a cup of green tea. With the blazing cup of hot liquid dangling from her fingers wrapped around the little cup handle, she softly walked back in to join him.

"Ninja Warrior, eh?" She asked as she took a seat across the table from him.

"Yep, I aim to beat Ninja Warrior next year." He easily opened the bottle of Ramune and took a swig.

"So, I'm guessing that is what you're working out toward?" She grabbed a cookie.

"Yeah, I need to build up my strength and agility for both competitions. When I'm not lifting weights, I'm usually rock climbing at the Kaya Gym downtown, and monkeying around on their indoor jungle gym equipment. The training regimen is harsh, but it'll be worth it." He replied with a smirk.

"Well, good luck to you. Let us know when you'll be competing and we'll be there to cheer you on." She replied with a smile and then took a sip of her hot tea.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kagome's alarm went off, causing an annoyed groan to escape her lips. She rolled over and slapped her hand down on the dual bell alarm clock on her night stand. She huffed and stared at the white ceiling. "I don't know why I still have my alarm set, I don't have school today…"

After a few minutes of blinking and rubbing her eyes, she finally sat up and swung her legs off the bed to the floor. The skin on her ankle was bothering her because the bandage became bunched up in her sleep. She lifted the leg to rest the injured ankle beside her on the bed and took the wrapping off gingerly.

A she drew in a hiss over the pain, and realized she needed help after all. She called out for help, hoping her mom would come to re-wrap her ankle. She heard someone briskly and loudly ascend the steps, and put her hands over her face. The door opened sharply.

"You okay, Kagome?"

She let her hands drop down to her lap in shock. "What's wrong? Is your ankle hurting?" He knelt down before her and examined her swollen ankle. She hissed in pain as he slightly lifted the wounded appendage to see how bad the swelling was.

"Yeah, it's still badly swollen. Here, I'll re-wrap it for you, and take you downstairs where you can put it on ice and have something to eat."

"Inuyasha…"

"Hmm?" He looked up at her from wrapping the ankle.

"Um… I didn't expect you to come up here into my room…"

He stopped wrapping long enough to process what she'd said. "I told you I would help you. You can't even as much as stand lightly on this foot, or you'll injure it more. I'll be here as much as you need me, and seeing how swollen and painful it is, you really did a number on it." He went back to his work.

She lowered her gaze and silently watched his hands wrap the fabric around her ankle. She began to notice the difference in the pain as the tension from the fabric helped give her more support. As the pain slipped away from her well wrapped ankle, the slight wrinkle spread across her forehead above her eye brows softened.

"There, all done. How does it feel?" He looked up to see her face more relaxed.

"Much better, thank you."

"Good. Now, let's get you downstairs." He scooted closer and leaned in with his arms outstretched as if to embrace her.

She leaned away. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to carry you."

"You seriously don't have to, Inuyasha. If I don't at least make the effort to do it myself, I will lose whatever confidence I have."

He shook his head, and stood up while leaning forward. He stepped to her side and just slipped his left hand behind her back and his right under her legs so fast, she was only able to gasp before she was lifted securely into his muscular arms once again.

"I told you…!"

"Just relax. You're only going to cause your heart to race, which in turn will lift your blood pressure and then cause you to tense up, causing you more pain." He stood there making eye contact with her to let her know he was serious.

She closed her mouth and swallowed as he held her gaze. "That's a good girl."

He sidestepped through her bedroom door and then slowly, carefully, made his way down the stairs with the 110 pound woman nestled in his arms. As they descended, she finally wrapped her arms around his neck. Her left hand felt the soft, firm skin. For a moment, she thought about him lifting weights in his backyard that day; how his slick skin shined in the sunlight, and how taught his skin looked over the bulging muscles…

"Well, here we are," he said as he set her down onto the cushions she rested on the day before.

She eyed him as he took his seat across from her and grabbed a cookie while his eyes focused on the television to his left. She shook her head and noticed her mom peeking through the kitchen entryway, asking her what she wanted for breakfast. She told her and the woman's smiling face disappeared around the corner. She then silently watched Inuyasha as he watched the beginning of Ninja Warrior; he looked enthralled in the episode. He was so lost in the show it seemed as if he'd forgotten where he was.

She moved her good foot under the table, and noticed her crutches had been left down here the night before. She grabbed them and then began to set them upright.

Inuyasha looked over and set the cookie he was eating down on the table and got to his feet. "What are you doing?" He stepped around the table to her side.

"I want to sit in the kitchen and talk with mom a bit while she makes my breakfast." She replied as she began to get onto her knees.

"Here, let me help you up." He slipped his arms under her arm pits, and began to lift her up.

At that moment, she felt his rock hard chest against her back through the cotton. She gasped at how easily he lifted her and set her on the good ankle. He lifted her arms onto the crutches and walked behind her as she made her way into the kitchen.

He pulled out a chair for her and she sidestepped in front of it. He was about to help her into the tall bar chair when she slapped his hands away. "I can sit myself into the chair, thank you."

He watched her effortlessly lower her bottom into the chair and set the crutches aside. Once she was settled, he went back into the living room and continued watching the show.

"Mom, are you going to be home today?"

"Yes, for a little bit, and then I will need to go shopping for groceries a little later on. Why?"

"Could you take Inuyasha with you?"

The woman laughed. "Why should I? I don't think I'll need him." She poured the mixed eggs and cheese into the hot skillet.

"Well, I can't go anywhere, and I would like to have some peace for a while. Maybe even sleep for a bit."

"You mean you want some independence, right?" She turned her head to smile at her daughter over her shoulder.

"Is that so bad?"

"No, but I don't want you killing yourself trying to get up and down the stairs on your own, sweetheart. So, I think I'll leave him here with you if you need him." She went back to cooking Kagome's eggs.

Kagome sighed in frustration.

"That smells wonderful, Mrs. Higurashi." Kagome looked up to her left to see he'd just appeared in the doorway.

"Oh, thank you. Would you like some as well? I have plenty of eggs. How many would you like me to make? How would you like 'em?"

"Oh, three, sunny side up. Could I have some toast as well?"

"Sure, I can do that for you. Would you like some juice or milk or anything? I noticed you'd finished your Ramune."

"Juice will be fine. Thanks, Mrs. H." He smiled and made eye contact with Kagome as he left the room.

She shook her head and laid her face in her hands as her elbows rested on her knees. She knew what was next; her mother will leave for the whole afternoon and she'll have to deal with him the whole time… alone… The thought of that annoyed her more than anything.

As an independent person, being waited on and doted over was not her cup of tea, and it bothered her immensely. She sighed and closed her eyes as she leaned back into the chair and laid her left hand on the table. The sounds of the eggs sizzling in the skillet calmed her. She tried to let her stressed mind unwind as the smells of the eggs her mother cooked enticed her taste buds. Her mouth began to salivate, and her stomach growled as well.

"How much longer mom?"

"Almost done with yours, dear. Did you want something to drink?"

"Yeah, Milk."

Her mother scooped the eggs onto Kagome's plate and set the empty skillet on a cool burner. She grabbed a cup from the nearby upper cabinet and grabbed the glass bottle of milk from the fridge. She poured the milk into the clear plastic cup with horizontal pastel colored stripes up to the last stripe, closed the glass bottle and set it back in the door of the fridge as Kagome's toast popped up in the toaster.

She turned around and set the cup before her daughter, and turned to butter the slices of toast she'd prepared for her. Kagome took a sip and smiled at the thick and creamy taste of the enriched liquid washing down the over-abundance of saliva. She licked her lips and her mother set the prepared plate of delicious food before her.

"Thank you, Mom, this look great!" She stated as she grabbed her chopsticks and picked up a piece of sweet and cheesy egg.

"You're welcome, sweetie." She said as she cracked another couple eggs into the skillet.

After a few minutes, Inuyasha suddenly appeared before Kagome at the table with an expectant look on his face. He was going to have wonderful home cooked food for once. "That smells wonderful, Mrs. H." He drooled.

Kagome snorted as she took a bite of her toast.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing… It's just… You act as if you've never had a home cooked meal before or something." She smiled as she chewed.

The look on his face turned serious. "First of all, please don't talk with your mouth full- that's just plain gross. Second of all, Kaede does the cooking by me, and she's really old, if you catch my drift. I tend to do microwaving, and I have a water cooler that dispenses hot water into my cups of instant ramen, which is what I'm eating more than anything else! So, yes, it's been years since someone's cooked me a decent meal."

"Oh…" She looked down to her plate of food and continued to eat in silence.

"Really, Inuyasha? Kaede doesn't cook?" The woman at the stove asked politely.

"Nope, I refuse to let her anywhere near the gas stove! With her forgetfulness, I'm worried she'll burn the house down."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, Hun." The woman replied as she carefully scooped his eggs off the skillet one by one onto his plate.

"Naw, it's not too much of a problem, but ramen can get boring after years of eating nothing but that. So, I decided to eat out at least twice a week to change it up a bit. I buy nothing but microwaveable dinners for her, or frozen meat that she can cook in the microwave since that appliance will only be on for a short period of time, and shuts off. That way, I know she's not getting into trouble."

"Wow. Well, while you're here helping Kagome, you're more than welcome to eat with us. Kagome and I are wonderful cooks." Kagome's mother winked with a smile as she grabbed a couple pieces of toast from the toaster and scooped some butter onto the butter knife.

"It's no big deal, really. But I appreciate it when you're able. I also drink half my meals to bulk up at the gym. Ya know, protein shakes and all." He shrugged as she set the two pieces of buttered toast he asked for on his plate.

"Well, you're our neighbor, and if there's anything you need, let us know." She replied as she set up a cup of tea to steep.

Inuyasha couldn't stop complimenting her mother the whole time he ate. Kagome felt as if they forgot she was even there. She finished her meal, and just sipped at her tall glass of milk silently. It seemed as if she'd gained a brother or something with how friendly they were talking.

She set her empty glass on the table and watched his face; the expressions he made as he reacted to the conversation he had with her mother. Suddenly, he looked at her funny.

"Earth to Kags!" He snapped his fingers in her face and she snapped out of the trance.

"Whaa…"

"You okay?" He asked.

"Huh?" She asked in confusion. She looked away and realized time had passed.

"You were staring at me with a strange look on your face."

"I was?" She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. Suddenly she swayed a bit and moaned.

"Here, I'll take you back upstairs to rest some more." He was up out of his seat and set his hands on her shoulders when she slapped them away.

"No! I'm fine, really!" She grabbed the crutches and slid her butt from the chair. Her good foot slipped and she began to fall.

"No you're not." He caught her again, swooped her in his arms and without question just carried her from the kitchen up the stairs, and into her room.

He laid her on the bed and grabbed the covers to lay them over her.

"This sucks!" she moaned in protest. She looked at him and he stopped to acknowledge her.

"Don't you have a life or something to tend to other than me? Seriously."

He sighed and sat on the edge of her bed. "My family is well-off, and I bought that home next door with barely enough to be called pocket change to me. My parents are both gone, and my ass of a half-brother lives in another prefecture on his own estate, and he could care less whether I live or die. I've known Kaede baa-chan since I was young, and on my own, so she's taken care of me so to speak. And now that she's getting older, she's all I got, and she'll be in a nursing home soon. "

"Wow… I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"It's no big deal, honestly." He tapped her hand with his and stood.

"What do you do? All I've seen you do is work out. Do you have a job or anything?"

"Don't really need one, but I do have goals. I plan to beat Ninja Warrior. Least, that's my newest goal. I've done everything else, and none of it's made me happy."

"And helping me does?"

"And what if it does?"

Kagome looked away.

"Look, you're hurt because of me. I wasn't paying attention. Plus, it's a change of pace too. Why not be there for someone who can't help themselves?"

Her eyes shot to his in annoyance. "I can take care of myself. I have to learn to rely on myself."

"And why is that? What's wrong with accepting someone's help?"

"I live alone, and I like it that way."

"Uh, look around you, Kags. You _don't_ live alone, you _did_ live alone. There's nothing wrong with that!"

She clinched her eyes shut, and waved her hand in the air. "Just, leave me alone, okay? Just go! Get outta my room!"

"All right, I'll be downstairs if you need me." He quickly made his way to the door and opened it. "Get some sleep, you'll heal faster." He shut the door and descended the stairs.

Kagome remained silent until he reached the first floor. She covered her eyes wither her hands in frustration, and moaned. She wished she could sleep the rest of the time it took to heal and wake when she no longer needed help. She'd always been independent, and never thought about what it would be like to accept help. Even as a child she was precocious, and complained whenever her mother tried to help her with things. After a while, her mother decided to just sit back and watch, and give instruction as needed.

Sota was the opposite; he needed help most of the time, and took up most of her mother's energy. Kagome didn't want to add to that. After her father died in the Tokyo passenger train wreck when she was 6, Kagome wanted to lessen the load on her mom. And now that Inuyasha's here, he's trying to break that habit.

Finally, after a few minutes of silence, Kagome slipped into dreamland and rested for a few hours.

* * *

Kagome moaned as she rolled over, her left arm extended and her hand suddenly touched something rounded. She raised her hand and lifted her head to see it was dusk, and a head jutted up at the side of her bed. She sat up with a gasp and noticed Inuyasha's red bandana was what she felt. She sat still for a few moments and heard the soft even breathes he took. Evidently, he'd fallen asleep next to her bed.

She had to go to the bathroom after all the sleeping she'd done, and she didn't want to wake him since he seemed so peaceful. She slipped the covers over to her side, and slid her body down the bed. She looked for her crutches and didn't see them anywhere. She slapped the heel of her hand on her right thigh in frustration.

She then thought she'd just hop along the walls to the bathroom and not wake him- the ultimate way to show him she didn't need him. When she got to the edge of the bed, she set her good foot down and grabbed onto the door jamb to lift herself up.

After she'd made it, she opened the door, and hopped lightly out the door and down the hall into the bathroom, huffing along the way. She closed the door to the bathroom and did her business.

When she finished, she made her way to the door and opened it to find him standing there looking at her. "You made it this far, but I bet your good leg hurts now, right?"

The wrinkle between her eyes reappeared again as she slapped him and tried to get past him. He grabbed her from behind and swung her around into her arms once again. She slapped him and complained the whole way back to bed. She nearly smacked his bandanna off, causing him to throw her off him and onto the bed.

"Now, that was not nice, Kagome!" He complained as he stepped from the bedroom and into the hall to fix his bandanna in the mirror.

"Serves you right! You never ask me IF I want help, you just pick me up and walk away with me! I'm not some teddy bear you can cuddle and hug, I'm a woman with feelings, you jerk!"

"Oh yeah? Well what about hitting me over the head? Totally uncalled for!" He screamed as he entered the room once again.

"And what about sleeping in my room, huh? Talk about creepy! How do I know you didn't fondle me or look down my pajamas while I was visiting another world?"

"C'mon! I like ya, but not enough to fondle ya!"

"Oh, really?" Silence filled the room, as they locked eyes for what felt like an eternity.

After a few moments, their eyes softened, and Inuyasha looked away. "I guess you're right. I'll be downstairs." He left the room and shut the door.

Kagome sat on her bed, staring off into space where he was standing. "Did he just say what I thought he said?" The words sank in for a few moments, the look on his face evident that he meant what he said. "He likes me?"

Her gaze shot to the door, and she immediately felt bad for treating him like she did. She flopped back onto her bed, her head hitting the pillow and stared at the white ceiling.

* * *

"I thought you went home when I didn't see you after I got back form shopping." Kagome's mother pointed out when the silver hunk reached the first floor.

"Oh no, I was checking up on her, and I just conked on the floor beside her bed. Of course, she freaked when I caught her in the hall bathroom without her crutches. She had a fit when I carried her back to her room, so I set her down on the bed and left."

"It sounded like there was quite a confrontation with her."

"Why is it she's so damned independent?" He asked as he took a seat in the nearest tall stool at the table as the woman cooked dinner.

"Well, after her father died when she was nine, she decided to help me out, and tried her best not to accept help from me since her little brother was just a toddler at that time. Since then, she's been prideful about her independence and it takes a lot to contend with her when she's like this.

"However, I think this is good for her because she gets to see that it's okay now to need help from others. So, don't run just yet. She'll soften up sooner or later." She smiled and started cutting some vegetables to put in a broth.

Inuyasha shook his head and leaned back in the chair and laid his hands over his face in frustration. He couldn't believe he'd said that to her. The look on her face slowly turned to realization of what he'd said, and he took that as his cue to leave the room. He didn't mean to express his feelings so soon, but she pretty much egged him to say something like that. It's obvious that trust hasn't formed between them yet. He thought about laying off a bit and not being so hard on her from then on, hoping she would warm up to him and eventually allow a friendship to form.

He couldn't get over the fact that she accused him of being a sleep fondler. Kikyo was the last woman he'd touched, and he hadn't felt anything for any woman since, until now. When she hit the pavement the other day, he felt terrible, and wanted nothing more than to be there for her since it was his fault she hurt herself.

Also, for the first time in many years, he'd met a woman who was not only independent, but also quite fiery- reminded him of the woman he loved and lost, only a bit feisty. _'Hmm, maybe Kikyo isn't the only woman I'll ever love.'_

"Inuyasha, could you go upstairs and let Kagome know that dinner's ready?"

He let his hands drop to his lap and got up from his chair to go see the woman he'd just stumped. As he ascended the steps, he noticed the door had stayed shut. He quietly walked up to the closed door and listened. He heard a few sniffles, and closed his eyes. He softly knocked on the door.

"Whattaya want?"

"Dinner's ready. Can I come in?"

"Okay…"

He opened the door and saw her lying on the bed staring at the ceiling. He walked to the side of the bed and put his hands in his pockets.

Her eyes averted to his. "Well?"

"Well what?" He asked.

"Aren't you going to just pick me up and forcefully take me down the stairs in your iron-clad arms like you have been doing all this time?"

He looked at his feet for a moment and then locked eyes with her as he replied with, "No." He then sat down on the bed beside her and just fidgeted with his finger nails.

"Then what do you want?"

He looked to her. "I'm sorry if I upset or hurt you with what I said earlier."

She guffawed and propped herself up on her elbows. "Are you the Inuyasha I've been dealing with all this time? What happened to you? First you're all gruff and an ass and now you're apologizing? What on earth?"

"I spoke with your mom about it and she told me why you are acting this way. And now, I understand. I'm sorry about the loss of your father."

Her eyes teared up and averted back to the ceiling. "Please don't bring that up again."

"Okay, I won't. I just wanted to let ya know that I now understand." He stood up, turned toward her and reached his hand out to her.

She reached out and took his hand. He helped her sit up and he then reached behind her with his left arm and under her knees with his right arm. Once she wrapped her arms around his neck, he lifted her to him and then carefully carried her out the door and sown the stairs to the table in the TV room. He knelt down and laid her gently on the pillow and then took his normal seat across from her.

At that moment, Kagome's mother placed a plateful of vegetables and also a hotplate in the middle of the table. Inuyasha eyed Kagome and noticed she seemed to shut herself inside, and was barely moving. His face grew sullen as he realized he'd brought pain up from deep within her heart.

"I'm sorry…" He whispered across the table before her mother brought more food to the table.

Her hurting eyes rose to meet his worried gold irises. They continued eyeing each other until her mother laid the beef pot before them, sizzling with hot water and cooked slices of beef.

"Eat!" The elder woman exclaimed with a smile and she reached into the boiling water with a pair of large wooden chopsticks.

Inuyasha broke eye contact first. "Wow, Mrs. Higurashi, this smells and looks so delicious!"

"Thank you; I do this dish every now and then." She smiled. "Kagome, come on, dig in."

Kagome looked down and picked up her dish and then watched us pick out the slices of beef. Inuyasha grabbed her plate, and served her a few slices of the tender and moist beef.

Once she had a bite of the meat Kagome's eyes softened, and life seemed to fill her face and her appetite. Inuyasha noticed the transformation and smiled as he chewed the succulent meat.

After dinner ended, and Kagome took a couple pain pills and asked to watch some television from a better angle. Inuyasha then set a cushion beside him and helped her down upon it.

After about a half hour of silence, Inuyasha suddenly felt her head fall onto his right shoulder. He looked over and saw she had passed out. He smiled and then slowly lifted her legs onto his lap and braced her back with his right arm and his left under her knees. He got up and walked her back upstairs and into her bed.

On his way down the stairs, Kagome's mother came around the corner. "Oh, is she sleeping upstairs?"

"Yeah, she's out like a light. Did you need anything?"

"Oh, no, I just wondered why I came out and didn't see either of you at the table."

"Yeah, the pain meds kicked in a little too quickly, so instead of letting her get a crick in her neck, I carried her up to bed."

"Okay, thank you." She smiled. "So we'll see you tomorrow then?"

Inuyasha turned and glanced up the stairs a moment and then at his feet. "Well, Yeah, I guess."

"Something wrong?"

"Well, I guess I got her a little upset earlier. I mentioned that I spoke with you about her father and…"

"Oh, okay. Yeah, I should've told you not to bring it up. She gets all broken up about it. When it happened, she was mute and nearly lifeless for about a day or so. It scared me, but whenever food is set in front of her, she breaks out of it enough to be alive. She took it pretty hard, and apparently she still does."

"I apologize."

"Oh, no, don't worry about it. You didn't know, so I don't blame you."

"I apologized to her and she told me not to bring it up again. I feel really bad. I've never seen her so lifeless like that. Like she just burrows herself into a little can or something and disappears within herself."

"Yeah, I know. At first I thought about taking her to a therapist about it, but she refused, and I never brought it up again. She's fine otherwise."

Inuyasha shrugged. "Well, I'm gonna head out now. I'll let you guys know when I'm coming, okay?"

"Sounds good, Hun. Take care, and have a good night." She said as he slipped his feet into his sandals.

"You too, Mrs. H." He replied and then exited through the front door.

He took his time in walking across the yard to his front door. He then looked up at one of Kagome's windows. After a few moments, he noticed the curtain moved slightly. He turned to continue watching and wondered if she'd woken and gotten out of bed to watch him leave. "G'night Kagome."


End file.
